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Ole Miss a stern test for Gators

Mississippi guard Marshall Henderson plays against Vanderbilt in overtime during an NCAA college basketball game on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. Mississippi won in overtime 89-79.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

GAINESVILLE — Florida’s defense has been excellent this season.

However, UF hasn’t seen an offense or a shooter like it will face against Ole Miss.

The fourth-ranked Gators host No. 16 Ole Miss on Saturday night in a strength vs. strength matchup between the top two teams in the Southeastern Conference standings.

The Rebels (17-3, 6-1) are fifth in the country in scoring offense at 80 points per game. Florida (17-2, 7-0) is second nationally in scoring defense, allowing 50.4 points per game.

UF dominated South Carolina 75-36 on Wednesday night to win its ninth consecutive game. The 36 points were the fewest the Gators have allowed in SEC play since a 38-36 win over LSU in 1948, a game played prior to the shot-clock era. It was the latest in a series of routs for UF.

Florida is beating its SEC foes by an average of 28.3 points a game. The widest margin in SEC play since the league expanded in 1992 is held by 1996 national champion Kentucky (24.2 points).

The Gators have held at least a 20-point lead for 104:34 of the 280 minutes (37.2 percent) they have played against SEC competition. No SEC team has scored more than 52 points against UF.

While the stats are impressive, they mean nothing to Florida coach Billy Donovan.

“It doesn’t make a difference how special our defense was yesterday,” Donovan said. “How special is our defense going to be on Saturday? Can we get better? Can we improve? And getting them to see that is what’s important.”

Keeping his team focused shouldn’t be a problem with Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson coming to Gainesville. The junior leads the SEC in scoring at 19.3 points per game.

“He’s got great feet, in terms of coming off screens,” Donovan said. “He can get his feet down and get them set. He’s got really good speed to come off screens. He’s got the ability to get himself squared up pretty quickly. He can make tough shots. He can make challenged shots.”

Henderson is a pure gunner, who has attempted at least 10 3-pointers in his last five games. He’ll be the latest challenge for UF guards Scottie Wilbekin and Kenny Boynton. The duo have shut down talented SEC guards in Missouri’s Phil Pressey, Texas A&M’s Elston Turner and South Carolina’s Bruce Ellington.

“He has good range, so he can make them from pretty far out,” Wilbekin said. “You just have to stay up on him, always be ready and keep a hand over the ball.”

The flamboyant Henderson can also agitate a hostile crowd. He hit two free throws with seven seconds remaining to lead the Rebels to a 63-61 win at Auburn last Saturday. After the game, Henderson ran over to Auburn’s student section and popped his jersey out at the crowd for several seconds.

“I think players are just different,” Florida forward Will Yeguete said. “We play with a lot of energy and a lot of emotion in the game. Sometimes you do things that you don’t realize you do until after.”

Henderson isn’t the only worry for UF. Ole Miss forward Murphy Holloway is the only SEC player averaging a double-double. The senior is scoring 14.6 points and grabbing 10.3 rebounds a game.

“They score more than any team in our league on second shots,” Donovan said. “So rebounding the ball is a major priority.”

Ole Miss does come into Gainesville with far less momentum than it left Auburn with a week ago. The Rebels had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday, losing at home to Kentucky 87-74. The Rebels shot 32.9 percent, while allowing the Wildcats to shoot 50 percent from the field.

Meanwhile, Florida appears to be returning to full strength. Reserve forward Casey Prather played against South Carolina for a few minutes in his return from a high ankle sprain. The junior had missed the previous four games.

If Florida can beat the Rebels, it will hold a two-game lead atop the standings. If the Gators can also win by a wide margin, there might not be a team in the SEC that can solve UF’s defense.